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Twenty-five-year old Erica Baker of Byron, Ga., first experienced the stabbing stomach pains that forced her to pull over while driving when she was a student at Clemson University.

Attributing the symptoms to “dining hall food, stress, and partying too much,” she initially ignored the pain, but her mother, who had Crohn’s disease, had a sneaking suspicion that her daughter had inherited the same condition.

Six months later, Baker’s doctor discovered a golf-ball size gallstone taking up almost her entire gallbladder. A subsequent colonoscopy revealed that she indeed had Crohn’s disease, which belongs to a group of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases that can be hereditary.

“The doctor was like, ‘This is one of the worst cases I’ve seen lately of Crohn’s,’" recalls Baker.

For a vibrant college student, the Crohn’s symptoms — which can include diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and cramping — were not only embarrassing but, she feared, meant an end to her social life and her relationship.

“When I first got diagnosed, I thought it was a death sentence,” she says. “To have to ask my fiancé to drive me to the hospital…and oh, by the way, I reserve the rights to this bathroom all night.”

Like many patients with autoimmune disorders such as Crohn’s, Baker took several months to find the right treatment, trying a number of drugs to find the right one. The first drug she tried caused her to lose 20 pounds and didn’t treat the symptoms. The right formulation for her was the third drug she tried.

Baker still has flare-ups a few times a month, but for the most part, she says, she leads a normal life. Maintaining a strict diet free of alcohol, grease, and dairy has also helped her control her Crohn’s disease symptoms. One of her challenges with Crohn’s is having to explain to family and friends why she sometimes has to skip social events.

“It infects every part of your life,” she says. “It’s learning to balance that, learning to balance your work life and your social life.”

As for her love life, the fears turned out to be unwarranted. Not only is she still with her understanding college sweetheart, but they are now happily married.